This invention relates to the field of personal computers and, more particularly, to the field of portable computers, sometimes termed "laptop" computers.
Truly portable computers are known which are relatively small, light in weight and convenient to carry and use in transit. Such computers are small enough to be comfortably placed on one's lap, hence the term "laptop" computer. Computers of this type are usually provided with a down-sized version of a standard personal computer keyboard, a display, a portable power supply (e.g., rechargeable batteries) and various interface connections for enabling the computer to be electrically coupled to other devices, such as input/output devices (disk drives, printers, and the like) and communication links (e.g., telephone lines). The display is typically pivotally mounted to the computer housing at a point intermediate the front and rear margins so as to be maneuverable between a closed position in which the viewing surface of the display covers the keyboard and acts as a shield, and an opened position in which the keyboard is exposed and the viewing surface of the display is arranged at a viewing angle. A representative portable computer having the above components and configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,546 issued Feb. 18, 1986 for "Portable Computer", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A relatively new type of portable computer introduced by the Assignee of this application is smaller and lighter than a typical laptop computer and features a display operable by a conductive pointed stylus which is employed by a user in much the same manner as a pen or pencil on a pad: hence the term "pad computer". This pad computer is meant to be employed like a pen and tablet in the field, and is devoid of any keyboard. The pad computer is, however, provided with a connector for enabling an auxiliary keyboard to be connected to the pad computer in order to add keyboard capability to the pad computer. However, the major mode of use envisioned in the pad computer encompasses the use of the stylus to permit hand entry of information into the computer via the display.